Fearing Extinction, Scientists Prepare 'Chocolate Alternatives'

SadaNews - In a world that adores chocolate, there is a quietly growing concern. Cocoa, the essential ingredient of chocolate, has become increasingly fragile in the face of rising temperatures and the spread of crop diseases around the world, pressuring global supplies.

Cocoa is very sensitive to heat and humidity, and with global warming, the map of suitable farming areas is changing. This puts significant pressure on the survival of the cocoa tree, which could lead to a substantial drop in production that might reach levels approaching extinction, although the likelihood of extinction remains low.

For this reason, scientists have already begun searching for an "alternative plan" that does not rely on substituting a different taste for chocolate, but rather on reinventing a flavor similar to it using plants that are better able to withstand climate change.

The Advantages of Carob

The study, published by researchers from the National University of Singapore in the journal "Food Chemistry," explores a lesser-known plant: carob. Carob is a hardy plant that adapts well to hot and dry environments and produces a pulp that can be roasted to give off a scent similar to cocoa.

However, the problem was that the taste typically does not reach the richness of chocolate that consumers expect, and this gap in flavor is what the team aimed to bridge.

According to the study, carob trees belong to the legume family and are originally from the Mediterranean basin. They are naturally more drought-tolerant compared to cocoa trees, which require specific climatic conditions to grow well. This means that carob may fare better against the weather fluctuations and water shortages expected with climate change.

The most practical advantage is that what is called carob pulp is not a rare product; it can appear as a byproduct during the production of carob gum, which is widely used as a thickener in the food industry.

However, as mentioned earlier, the issue was with flavor. Carob is less bitter and less roasted than cocoa, thus it does not provide the deep sensation we associate with dark chocolate.

Here comes the team's innovation, which relied on easily available enzymes to modify the flavor precursors in carob pulp before and during roasting, to produce compounds closer to the essence of cocoa.

According to the study, the idea is not to add artificial flavorings but to prepare the raw material to create the flavor itself during roasting.

Special Protein

In this context, the researchers used enzymatically treated soy protein to increase the content of amino acids and peptides, which helps in building a deeper and more balanced flavor, enhancing cocoa-like aroma.

On the other hand, the researchers focused on enhancing sweetness and roasted caramel notes, as specific enzymatic treatments help generate simple natural sugars that later participate in the roasting reactions to produce aromatic compounds that provide warmth to the flavor, bringing it closer to chocolate.

A key advantage emphasized by the study is that enzymatic processing is relatively clean and involves fewer steps, compared to other methods that may use harsh chemicals to improve flavor.

Additionally, the enzymes used are already common in food manufacturing, according to the study, making the idea potentially scalable in industrial applications if it proves commercially successful.

If this approach succeeds on a large scale, the potential impact is significant. The introduction of enhanced carob into products that typically rely on cocoa, such as chocolate bars and cocoa powders, may reduce the industry's dependence on cocoa alone and make supply chains more resilient to climate shocks and crop diseases.

This comes in an important context, as carob has a noteworthy nutritional aspect; it is caffeine-free, and its natural sweetness might allow for the production of chocolate alternatives with less added sugar.

Source: Various websites